Etisalat Award For Arabic Children’s Literature Adds Silent Books As New Category, Sets Deadline For Entries

In its ongoing quest to support and nurture literature for children and youth, the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and sponsored by the Etisalat Group, has announced it is now accepting submissions for the 11th edition from local, Arab and international authors, publishers and illustrators. For the first time, silent books in Arabic have also been included as a category.

New ‘Best Arabic Silent Book’ category
For the first time, the award is open for the silent books’ category. The inclusion of this new category comes as a step towards supporting and nurturing this form of literature in order to produce more qualitative content for children.

August deadline for Children and Young Adult category
Contestants have until the end of August to submit their applications for the 11th edition of the award. All Arabic and international publishing houses can enter the competition provided that the book is written in Arabic and has not been translated or quoted. It must target children and young people up to 18 years old and should be published by a registered publishing house or institution and not individually issued. It should also be printed and published in hard copy and not have previously won any local, Arab or international award.

July 31 deadline for E-versions of ‘Young Adult Book of the Year’
The award announced that the last day for submission of electronic versions of books in this category which targets 13 – 18-year-olds is July 31. In order to qualify, entries must be original and not translated and should not have been entered for earlier editions of the competition. They should also have been published no more than five years before the entry was submitted, and not have previously won any local, Arab or international award. Works authored or edited by more than one person are also eligible for entry in this category.

Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of UAEBBY, emphasised that the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature was at the forefront of awards for children’s literature, noting that this edition introduced for the first time a category for silent books in order to promote this form of literature to give readers a wider choice.

She said: “Over the past few years, the award has motivated and supported the children’s literature sector to produce valuable content for this important young segment of society. It has attracted publishers, authors and illustrators to contribute in creating valuable content that will help the younger generation to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge to create a brighter future for themselves. We look forward to this year’s submissions to provide more informative and enlightening content for children and young people.”

The President of UAEBBY added: “The award has been motivating and supporting authors of children’s literature in our region to publish works that reflect the highest global literary standards, both in their written and illustrated content. Doing so will have an immediate impact on readership; an attractive book with an engaging story will always be picked up by a child. We want our children to learn about diverse topics and broaden their intellect through top-quality Arabic language books.”

HE Abdulaziz Taryam, CEO Adviser and General Manager of Etisalat – Northern Emirates, said: “We are dedicated to supporting the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s’ Literature, in line with our social responsibility and firm belief that it is important to support creative talents and regional publishers working in Arabic children’s literature. Reinforcing their local and international presence will boost current efforts being made the region’s sustainable development. The award offers publishers, authors and illustrators not only an impetus to produce quality children’s books, but opens new opportunities to them.”

The UAEBBY board called on interested parties to send their applications to the following address: Al Qasba – Block D – First Floor – Office 45, P.O. Box: 1421 – Sharjah – United Arab Emirates. Tel: +9165195555,Fax:+97165542345, E-mail: info@uaebby.org.ae. Electronic copy submissions should be made on www.etisalataward.ae

A total of AED 1.2 million will be distributed through the award as follows: AED 300,000 to be distributed equally between the publisher, author and illustrator for the Children’s Book of the Year; Young Adult’s Book of the Year – AED 200,000 to be distributed equally between the author and publisher; Best Text – AED 100,000; Best Illustration – AED 100,000; Best Production – AED 100,000; and Best Arabic Silent Book – AED 100,000.

The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature was launched in 2009 as an initiative by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and Patron of the UAEBBY. Sponsored by the Etisalat Group, it aims to raise the overall quality of Arabic literature by introducing a high value award recognising outstanding contributions in the field.